Mr. Yoshiaki Sato, the present inventor, has conducted studies for quite some time in order to develop a muscle strength increasing method for easy, safe, and effective muscle development, and put together the accomplishments into a patent application having Japanese Patent Application No. 5-313949, which has been granted as Japanese Patent No. 2670421.
The muscle strength increasing method according to the subject patent, which involves the application of pressure, is a distinctive non-conventional one. This muscle strength increasing method (hereinafter, referred to as “KAATSU training™ method”) is based on the following theoretical concept.
Muscles are composed of slow-twitch muscle fibers and fast-twitch muscle fibers. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are limited in their potential for growth. Accordingly, it is necessary to recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers of the slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers in order to develop muscles. Recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers causes lactic acid buildup in the muscles, which triggers secret ion of growth hormone from the pituitary. The growth hormone has effects of, for example, promoting muscle growth and shedding body fat. This means that recruitment and exhaustion of fast-twitch muscle fibers results in development of fast-twitch muscle fibers and, in turn, the entire muscles.
Slow-twitch muscle fibers and fast-twitch muscle fibers are different from each other in terms of the following. Slow-twitch muscle fibers use oxygen for energy and are recruited for low-intensity activities. Fast-twitch muscle fibers provide for activities regardless of whether or not oxygen is present. They are recruited after the slow-twitch muscle fibers for highly intense activities. Therefore, it is necessary to cause the earlier recruited and activated slow-twitch muscle fibers to be exhausted soon in order to recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Conventional muscle strength increasing methods use heavy exercises with, for example, a barbell to cause the slow-twitch muscle fibers to be exhausted first, and then to recruit the fast-twitch muscle fibers. This recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers requires a significant amount of exercises, is time-consuming, and tends to increase the burden on muscles and joints.
On the other hand, one can perform exercises while pressure is applied circumferentially upon the muscles of a limb at a predetermined location near the top of the limb to restrict blood flow into the limb distal to the predetermined range. Since less oxygen is supplied to these muscles, the slow-twitch muscle fibers, which require oxygen for energy, are thus exhausted in a short period of time. Muscle exercises with blood-flow restriction by application of pressure will result in recruitment of the fast-twitch muscle fibers without needing a large amount of exercises. More specifically, when pressure is applied circumferentially upon a limb at a predetermined location near the top of the limb, venous circulation is restricted while arterial circulation is almost the same as the normal condition if an appropriate pressure is applied. This is because veins are closer to the skin surface of the limb, and are thinner and less muscular (less resistant against an applied force) than arteries while arteries are found deep within the limb, and are thicker and more muscular than veins. By holding that condition for a certain period of time, the limb that has compressed near the top thereof becomes engorged with blood which runs from arteries but cannot flow through veins. This condition is very close to the one achieved during heavy exercise of that limb. Consequently, the muscles get extremely exhausted. In addition, the muscle fatigue is also caused by the fact that the lactic acid that has built up in the muscles is less likely to be removed from the muscles because of the temporal occlusion of the veins.
A KAATSU training method can spuriously provide a condition as described above that is similar to conditions obtained during and after exercises . This means that the KAATSU training method provides effects of muscle training and promotes secretion of growth hormone.
Based on the aforementioned mechanism, restriction of muscle blood flow can provide significant development of the muscles.
The KAATSU training method is premised on the theoretical concept of muscle strength increase by the restriction of blood flow. More specifically, the KAATSU training method is intended to apply an appropriate applied pressure upon at least one of the limbs at a predetermined location near the top thereof, for the blood flow restriction into the limb distal to that location; put an appropriate stress attributed to blood flow decrease on the muscles, by the applied pressure; and thereby cause muscle fatigue. Thus, effective muscle development is achieved.
The KAATSU training method features muscle development without any exercises because it involves developing muscles by putting a stress attributed to blood flow decrease on the muscles. With this feature, the KAATSU training method is highly ef fective for the recovery of motor ability in people with impaired motor function, e.g., the elders or an injured person.
In addition, the KAATSU training method can compensate for a total amount of stress that is placed on the muscles by putting on the muscles a stress attributed to blood flow decrease. When combined with some exercises, the method advantageously reduces an exercise-related load as compared with conventional methods. This feature produces effects of reducing possible risks of joint- or muscle-damages and shortening a necessary time period for training, because it can decrease the amount of muscle exercises for the muscle development.
It should be noted that, for the implementation of the KAATSU training method, such a tool or device is essential that can restrict the blood flow through the muscles intended to be developed and that can precisely adjust the degree of blood flow restriction.
The present inventor has made studies for the KAATSU training method and, in the course of these studies, devised an invention relating to a training apparatus for KAATSU training as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-294014. The subject invention relates to a training system for KAATSU training comprising a tight fitting device having a hollow band and a rubber-made inflatable tube provided therein, and a training apparatus for KAATSU training that automatically adjusts the pressure of the air that is forced to the inflatable tube. The subject invention allows easy and proper compression of the limb by means of automatically controlling the air pressure, which contributes to providing easy and safe KAATSU training.
However, such a training system for KAATSU training still has a point that should be improved.
During the KAATSU training provided by using a training system for KAATSU training, a person who is receiving the KAATSU training may have some problems with his or her physical condition to such a degree that the KAATSU training should not be continued. In such cases, it becomes necessary to take certain safetymeasures (e.g., terminate the KAATSU training automatically or as immediately as possible) . However, there is no training system for KAATSU training that can cope with it.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a technique with which a training system for KAATSU training of the type that applies an applied pressure by using a gas to at least one of the limbs near the top thereof can take safety measures if a person who is receiving KAATSU training has a problem with his or her physical condition to such a degree that the KAATSU training should not be continued.